Los Angeles Sexual Harassment Lawyer

Los Angeles Sexual Harassment Attorney

Los Angeles sexual harassment lawyer Everyone working in the United States has the right to work in an environment free of sexual harassment. Yet, unfortunately, thousands of employees across all industries experience various forms of sexual harassment at work every day. When these incidents occur, it is easy for the victimized employee to feel isolated and powerless, especially when their harasser is a supervisor, manager, or anyone in a position of authority over their work.

Representing Los Angeles, CA, Employees Who Experience Sexual Harassment at Work

Sexual harassment is unwanted and unwelcomed harassing behavior that happens to you because of your sex/gender. The harassing conduct does not have to be motivated by sexual desire, and it could happen to women or men. Under the law, the gender of the involved parties does not matter. For example, a male supervisor could be a harasser of a male employee. Additionally, it can come not only from a boss or supervisor, but also from the company’s discriminatory policies or practices, suppliers, vendors, or your colleagues or customers.

If you have experienced anything you believe constitutes sexual harassment, or if you lost your job for refusing to provide sexual favors to a supervisor or manager, you must speak with an experienced Los Angeles sexual harassment lawyer as soon as possible. Your legal team can help you determine whether sexual harassment occurred and your available options for legal recourse. Government agencies such as the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and the Department of Labor uphold strict regulations about sexual harassment.

All employers must have sexual harassment policies in place as well as methods to resolve incidents of harassment effectively through internal channels. Unfortunately, these measures do not always prevent sexual harassment from occurring in the workplaces throughout California.

How Your Los Angeles Sexual Harassment Attorney Can Help

Clark Employment Law, APC, is a focused team of experienced attorneys specializing in employment-related legal disputes. Over the years, our firm has assisted many clients in the Los Angeles area with a wide range of legal claims related to sexual harassment, hostile work environment, workplace discrimination, unequal pay (pay gap), and much more.

We are keenly aware of the devastating effects sexual harassment can have on an employee’s life, both personally and professionally. Additionally, we know that anyone can potentially experience sexual harassment at work, and every victim deserves legal guidance and formal recourse against their harassers.

Our Los Angeles-based sexual harassment attorneys will take time to get to know you, and your situation and review all the details of the harassment you experienced. The more information you can provide to your attorneys, the better they can handle your case.

Sexual harassment claims often pertain to prolonged periods of consistent negative behaviors, but some revolve around more extreme isolated incidents. Sexual harassment takes many forms, and unfortunately, many people tolerate illegal sexual harassment much longer than they should because they are unaware of the full scope of their legal protections under the California Fair Employment Housing Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the regulations of the DFEH/EEOC and various other state and federal agencies.

Harassment claims are largely dependent on the specific facts and circumstances surrounding each individual case. Please contact our firm if you feel that you have been harassed or mistreated because of your sex/gender at work so that we can discuss the legal remedies that may be available to you. A team of Los Angeles based attorneys with expertise in employment law is here to assist you with your harassment case. When you choose Clark Employment Law, APC, to handle your sexual harassment claim, you can be confident that you are in good hands.

Commonly Cited Types of Sexual Harassment

Your Los Angeles based sexual harassment attorneys will help you determine whether your recent negative experiences at work constitute grounds for a sexual harassment claim. A few of the most common examples of sexual harassment endured in California workplaces include:

• Unwelcome Sexual Advances. While it’s relatively common in American workplaces for coworkers to date and has personal relationships outside of work, it’s vital for all employees in all workplaces to understand that “no” means “no” when sexual advances are refused. While it may be fine for a coworker to ask another out on a date, making overt sexual advances constitutes sexual harassment in most cases. Once the victim has made it clear that the harasser’s behavior is unwelcome and unwanted, any further sexual advances would be grounds for a sexual harassment claim.
• Hostile Work Environment. Coworkers can create a hostile work environment for one of their peers in several ways, such as posting pornographic materials in shared areas, making sexual jokes, making sexually suggestive comments, and similar behaviors. Hostile work environment sexual harassment occurs when behavior and conduct of a sexual nature is so severe and pervasive in the work environment that it deprives an employee of her or his statutory right to work in a place free of discrimination. The victim should make it clear that the behavior makes them uncomfortable, and it is unwanted and unwelcome, and if the behavior persists, the victim should consult a Los Angeles sexual harassment attorneys to discuss their legal options.
• Quid Pro Quo. This Latin phrase indicates an exchange. Unfortunately, some supervisors, managers, and other employees with positions of authority over others will leverage their authority illegally. For example, they may offer an employee work-related benefits in exchange for sexual favors. Worse, they may threaten adverse employment action (for example, termination, demotion, or reduction in pay/hour) against an employee if they do not agree to sexual intimacy. Either form of quid pro quo qualifies as grounds for a sexual harassment claim.
• Sexual Orientation Harassment. Under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, it is illegal for anyone to harass a coworker or employee based on their sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation. Sexual orientation harassment in a workplace is against the law if the employer makes employment decisions (such as hiring, firing, promoting, training, etc.) based on an employee’s sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation.
• Gender Identity/Gender Expression Harassment. Transgender or gender identity gender expression harassment or discrimination means treating a person differently or taking negative employment action against that person because of their gender identity or gender expression. It is illegal under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act to harass or discriminate against any employee because of their gender identity or gender expression, including firing an employee because the employee plans to undergo sex-change surgery, disciplining an employee because the employee wears clothing according to his or her gender identity, paying an employee at a lower rate or refusing to provide benefits to the employee because of the employee’s gender identity or gender expression.
• Sexual Assault/Battery. Unfortunately, some people take sexual advances too far and proceed with physical interaction. If an employee is groped or sexually touched in any way, the person who touched them may face liability for a sexual harassment claim and criminal charges for sexual battery.

Any of these forms of sexual harassment is illegal in California. The FEHA prohibits harassment based on a protected category (such as gender) against an employee. And it is important to note that harassment is prohibited in all workplaces, even those with fewer than five (5) employees. It is also against the law for your employer to retaliate against you because you complain about sexual harassment or sexual violence.

If your employer retaliates against you for complaining about sexual harassment or for participating as a witness in an investigation of sexual harassment, you should take action. If you believe you experienced sexual harassment in your workplace, Clark Employment Law, APC, can help you recover any damages you sustained and hold your harasser accountable.

Experienced Los Angeles Sexual Harassment Lawyer

You are entitled to work in a comfortable, non-threatening environment, free of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is unwanted sexual advances, or visual, verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that happens to you because of your sex. The harassing conduct does not have to be motivated by sexual desire, and it could happen to women or men. Sexual harassment may be obvious or subtle and it can take many different forms. For example:

• Unwanted sexual advances;
• Offering a job or promotion in exchange for sexual favor;
• Verbal abuse of a sexual nature;
• Sexually suggestive contact;
• Displaying sexual pictures or objects; or
• Making unwanted or inappropriate sexual jokes or inferences.

Sexual harassment in a workplace is against the law if:

• Your employer makes employment decisions (hiring, firing, promoting, training, etc.) based on your submission to or rejection of the sexually harassing conduct; or
• The sexually harassing conduct is sufficiently severe or pervasive that it creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment. Third party witnesses to the sexual harassment may also have a claim if they can prove that the harassment is so severe that it prevents them from effectively doing their job.

It is also against the law for your employer to retaliate against you because you complain about sexual harassment or sexual violence. If your employer retaliates against you for complaining about sexual harassment or for participating as a witness in an investigation of sexual harassment, you should take action.

Harassment claims are largely dependent on the specific facts and circumstances surrounding each individual’s case. Please contact our firm if you feel that you have been harassed or mistreated at work so that we can discuss the legal remedies that may be available to you. A team of Los Angeles based attorneys with expertise in employment law is here to assist you with your harassment case.

Recovering From Sexual Harassment at Work

The Los Angeles sexual harassment attorneys at Clark Employment Law, APC, can provide the meticulous and compassionate legal counsel you need to approach your sexual harassment claim with confidence. The defendant in your claim can be a specific individual at work, your immediate supervisor, your employer, or a combination of multiple defendants.

At Clark Employment Law, APC, we are committed to fight in court to get justice for people who have experienced sexual harassment at the workplace. Please contact our firm if you feel that you have been harassed or mistreated at work because of your sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity/gender expression.

Our Los Angeles based attorneys will assist you in pursuing all legal remedies that are available to you. We’ll help you calculate losses such as lost income, lost benefits, missed promotional opportunities, attorneys’ fees and cost, and more to help you recover as much as possible through your sexual harassment lawsuit.

We understand that experiencing sexual harassment can be painful and traumatic. Our goal is to help you understand your legal options as clearly as possible and recover as completely as possible. If you are ready to discuss your recent experiences with a trustworthy and experienced team of Los Angeles sexual harassment attorneys, contact Clark Employment Law, APC today at (818) 741-2101 to schedule your free consultation.